A bioreactor has a biofilm that receives a gas through a supporting membrane and another biofilm attached to an inert support. The first biofilm is aerated through the membrane and provides nitrification. The other biofilm has an anoxic or anaerobic zone and provides denitrification. A module useful in the bioreactor has cords potted in at least one potting head. Optionally, some or all of the cords have a gas transfer membrane. The module may provide inert supports, active gas transfer supports or a combination of both types of support. Multiple modules may be assembled together into a cassette, the cassette providing inert supports, active supports or a combination. The module or cassette may have an aerator for mixing or biofilm control.

The present disclosure discloses a method for determining optimal preservation temperature of biofilm in wastewater treatment, and belongs to the technical field of environmental engineering. The method for determining the optimum preservation temperature of the wastewater treatment biofilm constructed by the present disclosure comprises measuring the cell activity state of the biofilm by flow cytometry, and taking the preservation temperature closest to the cell activity state before preservation as the optimum preservation temperature. The method of the present disclosure can determine the optimum preservation temperature within a few hours and performs correlation analysis on the characteristic indexes of the biofilm activity recovery process to verify the reliability of the data. By using the method of the present disclosure, the step of recovering the activity of the biofilm process can be omitted, the pollutants can be discharged under the standard, and at the same time, the starting time of engineering application of the biofilm process can be effectively shortened, the long-term stable operation of the biofilm process is maintained, and the method has high industrial feasibility.

A conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant is upgraded by adding one or more of a membrane filtration unit, a membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) unit, and a screen. The membrane filtration unit is added between a process tank and the secondary clarifier. The membrane filtration unit extracts treated effluent at a rate up to 25% of the influent flow rate. The plant is not converted into a membrane bioreactor (MBR) since the MLSS concentration is still less than 4,000 mg/L. The membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) unit is added to a process tank of the plant and provides attached growth biological treatment. The screen extracts solids from water flowing to the process tanks. When optionally used in combination, the added units and processes increase the capacity of the primary separation, biological processing and secondary separation functions of the plant. The influent flow rate may be increased.

Provided is a water treatment module including a bundle of hollow fiber membranes that includes a treatment portion extending between bottom and top ends and at least one gas diffuser. The membranes may be gas permeable and water impermeable. At least one end of the hollow fiber membranes is linked to a source of biofilm growth-supporting gas (BGSG) and configured to permit inlet of said BGSG into the hollow fiber membranes. Also provided herein are devices, systems and methods making use of the module.

There is described a bioreactor comprising a perforated tube for inputting wastewater therein, a textured wall, such as a geotextile membrane, and an oxygenating unit comprising a pressurized air bubble diffuser. The wall is spirally installed around the perforated tube, defining a passageway fluidly connected to the perforated tube and along which the wastewater inputted in the perforated tube is forced to travel. The membrane is adapted for hosting aerobic bacteria at a surface thereof. The oxygenating unit is provided at a bottom of the passageway for oxygenating the passageway. The bioreactor can be included in a treatment apparatus comprising primary treatment chambers and a decantation chambers, forming a standalone unit which is compact and easy to install.

A method of attaching a cell or a membrane-coated particle-of-interest to a microtube is provided. The method comprising: co-electrospinning two polymeric solutions through co-axial capillaries, wherein a first polymeric solution of the two polymeric solutions is for forming a shell of the microtube and a second polymeric solution of the two polymeric solutions is for forming a coat over an internal surface of the shell, the first polymeric solution is selected solidifying faster than the second polymeric solution and a solvent of the second polymeric solution is selected incapable of dissolving the first polymeric solution and wherein the second polymeric solution comprises the cell or the membrane-coated particle-of-interest, thereby attaching the cell or the membrane-coated particle-of-interest to the microtube. Also provided are microtubes with attached, entrapped or encapsulated cells or membrane-coated particles and methods of using same

A method of attaching a molecule-of-interest to a microtube, by co-electrospinning two polymeric solutions through co-axial capillaries, wherein a first polymeric solution of the two polymeric solutions is for forming a shell of the microtube and a second polymeric solution of the two polymeric solutions is for forming a coat over an internal surface of the shell, the first polymeric solution is selected solidifying faster than the second polymeric solution and a solvent of the second polymeric solution is selected incapable of dissolving the first polymeric solution and the second polymeric solution comprises the molecule-of-interest, thereby attaching the molecule-of-interest to the microtube. An electrospun microtube comprising an electrospun shell, an electrospun coat over an internal surface of the shell and a molecule-of-interest attached to the microtube.

A biofilm membrane bioreactor system with a bioreactor, at least two membrane plates positioned within the bioreactor, and a plurality of biofilm carriers suspended within the wastewater in the bioreactor. The bioreactor has at least one inlet and at least one outlet. The at least two membrane plates are configured to filter the wastewater to generate permeate and may be formed of a ceramic material. Each of the at least two membrane plates are separated from adjacent membrane plates by a membrane gap that is at least two times larger than a smallest dimension of one of the biofilm carriers.

The present disclosure is directed toward membrane biofilm reactors primarily comprising microorganisms that produce chemical fuel products or precursors thereof. Reactors of the present disclosure can primarily comprise acetogens, a methanotrophs, and/or Methanosarcina acetivorans.

A disclosed piping manifold for providing pulsating flow includes an outer tubular member extending along a longitudinal axis. The outer tubular member includes a plurality of outer radial openings. An inner tubular member is positionable within the outer tubular member and rotatable about the longitudinal axis. The inner tubular member includes a plurality of inner radial openings, an inlet port configured to receive a fluid, and a lumen providing a fluidic pathway between the plurality of inner radial openings and the inlet port. Rotation of the inner tubular member about the longitudinal axis is configured to periodically bring the plurality of inner radial openings in and out of registration with the plurality of outer radial openings to provide a plurality of pulsating flows of the fluid out of the outer radial openings.